V.A.19
Partial Early Draft and Notes for the “Circe” (15) Episode (1920)1
Material Description and Collation
The manuscript is a copybook in Joyce’s hand in black ink, with pencil additions and/or revisions on pp. [1r], [2r], [5v], [6r], [7r], [7v], [10r], [11r]. [11v], [12r], [13r], [20v], [23r], [26v] and [27r]. It consists of 40 leaves (80 pages) of unlined paper, of which 53 pages are inscribed and 27 are blank: pp. [2v], [15v], [16v]–[20r], [27v], [32v] and [33v]–[40v].
As manufactured, the copybook was held together with 2 metal staples in the center vertical fold; they were removed for conservation purposes and the manuscript was disbound. It has a heavier stock tan paper cover. On the front cover recto a rectangular ornamental design is printed, within which are two dotted horizontal lines; the stationer’s name, address and telephone number are printed beneath the border of the design: “Cartoleria Giorgio Fabro –– Trieste | Via Vincenzo Bellini No. 13 • Tel. 30–96”. The stationer’s trademark, the initials “G F” in a globular spider web with a spider, is printed in the center of the back cover verso. The cover and each sheet were cleaned, de-acidified and individually encapsulated in May 1988.
Title
Joyce wrote “CIRCE” in capital letters inside the stationer’s design in pencil and red crayon. He also wrote “Circe” at top of the page in the center of the front cover verso in black ink.
Measurements
Each leaf measures 20.5 x 16.1 cm.
Pagination
Joyce foliated the rectos of pp. [1r]–[13r] “1)”–”13)” in the left margin in pencil.
Contents
The manuscript is the earliest extant draft of the “Circe” episode. The National Library of Ireland has 2 later drafts: MSS 36,639/12 and 35,598. The first of these later drafts, MS 36,639/12, a copybook in Joyce’s hand, contains the next version of pp. [1r]–[15r] of the manuscript. The earliest subsequent version of pp. [16r]–[33r] of the manuscript is the second of the National Library of Ireland drafts: fs. [16r]–[25r] of MS 35,598, a loose-leaf draft in Joyce’s hand.
The text on each page of the manuscript is as follows:
| MS V.A.19 | Corresponding Text on the Later NLI MS 36,639/12 | Corresponding Text on the Later NLI MS 35,598 | Ulysses Text 1922 (1992) / 1986 |
|---|---|---|---|
| p. [1r]: “1” | p. [1r] | f. [1r] | 408.01–409.24 / 15.0001–0047 |
| p. [1v] | pp. [2r] and [3r] | f. [1r] | Additional texts for p. [1r] |
| p. [2r]: “2” | pp. [2r] and [3r] | f. [1r] | 409.25–411.09 / 15.0048–0093 |
| p. [2v]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [3r]: “3” | p. [3r] | fs. [1r] and [2r] | 411.09–412.23 / 15.0093–0135 |
| p. [3v] | p. [4r] | f. [2r] | Additional text for p. [4r] |
| p. [4r]: “4” | pp. [3r] and [4r] | f. [2r] | 412.23–418.03 / 15.0135–0301 |
| p. [4v] | pp. [4r], [5r] and [8v] | fs. [2r] and [6r] | Additional texts for pp. [5r] and [8r] |
| p. [5r]: “5” | pp. [4r] and [5r] | fs. [2r] and [3r] | 418.11–420.19 /15.0310–0375 |
| p. [5v] | pp. [9r] and [10r] | fs. [6r] and [7r] | Additional texts for p. [8r] |
| p. [6r]: “6” | pp. [5r] and [6r] | f. [3r] | 420.20–426.08 / 15.0377–0547 |
| p. [6v] | pp. [6r], [8r] and [9r] | fs. [3r] and [6r] | Additional texts for pp. [7r] and [8r] |
| p. 7r]: “7” | pp. [6r] and [7r] | fs. [3r] and [4r] | 426.08–428.04 / 15.0547–0602 |
| p. [7v] | p. [8r] | fs. [5r] and [6r] | Additional text for p. [8r] |
| p. [8r]: “8” | pp. [7r], [8r] and [10r] | fs. [5r] and [7r] | 428.05–430.15 & 449.06–449.19 / 15.0603–0674 & 1267–1281 |
| p. [8v] | pp. [10v], [14r] and [15r] | fs. [8r] and [9r] | Additional texts for pp. [9r] and [11r] |
| p. [9r]: “9” | pp. [10r] and [11r] | fs. [7r] and [8r] | 449.20–451.26 & 471.15 / 15.1282–1347 & 1984 |
| p. [9v] | pp. [12r], [13r] and [14r] | fs. [8r] and [9r] | Additional texts for pp. [10r] and [11r] |
| p. [10r]: “10” | pp. [11r] and [12r] | f. [8r] | 471.15–473.19 / 15.1984–2050 |
| p. [10v] | pp. [12r] and [13r] | f. [8r] | Additional texts for p. [11r] |
| p. [11r]: “11” | pp. [12r], [13r] and [15r] | fs. [8r] and [10r] | 473.20–481.14 / 15.2052–2307 |
| p. [11v] | pp. [16r] and [17r] | fs. [10r] and [11r] | Additional texts for p. [12r] |
| p. [12r]: “12” | pp. [15r], [16r] and [17r] | fs. [10r] and [11r] | 481.17–486.12 / 15.2311–2478 |
| p. [12v] | p. [18r] | fs. [11r] and [12r] | Additional text for p. [13r] |
| p. [13r]: “13” | pp. [17r], [18r] and [19r] | fs. [11r] and [12r] | 486.12–493.25 / 15.2479–2710 |
| p. [13v] | p. [20r] | fs. [12r] and [13r] | Additional text for p. [14r] |
| p. [14r] | pp. [19r] and [20r] | fs. [12r] and [13r] | 493.25–495.23 / 15.2710–2772 |
| p. [14v] | p. [21r] | fs. [13r] and [16r] | Additional texts for p. [15r] |
| p. [15r] | pp. [20r] and [21r] | fs. [13r] and [16r] | 495.23–498.15 & 518.01–518.06 / 15.2772–2853 & 3499–3503 |
| p. [15v]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [16r] | NA | f. [16r] | 518.06–518.09 / 15.3504–3506 |
| pp. [16v]–[20r]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [20v] | NA | fs. [20r] and [21r] | Additional texts for p. [21r] |
| p. [21r] | NA | fs. [20r] and [21r] | 535.10–537.12 / 15.4032–4098 |
| p. [21v] | NA | fs. [18r] and [21r] | Additional texts for p. [22r] |
| p. [22r] | NA | fs. [18r] and [21r] | 537.13–537.14 & 523.07–524.24 / 15.4099–4100 & 3654–3702 |
| p. [22v] | NA | f. [19r] | Additional text for p. [23r] |
| p. [23r] | NA | fs. [18r] and [19r] | 525.04–528.24 / 15.3712–3826 |
| p. [23v] | NA | f. [19r] | Additional texts for p. [24r] |
| p. [24r] | NA | fs. [19r] and [23r] | 528.24–529.30 & 545.34–546.02 / 15.3826–3863 & 4369–4372 |
| p. [24v] | NA | fs. [23r] and [24r] | Additional texts for p. [25r] |
| p. [25r] | NA | fs. [23r] and [24r] | 546.25–549.24 / 15.4395–4484 |
| p. [25v] | NA | fs. [24r] and [25r] | Additional texts for p. [26r] |
| p. [26r] | NA | fs. [24r] and [25r] | 549.24–557.08 / 15.4484–4719 |
| p. [26v] | NA | fs. [19r] and [20r] | Additional texts for p. [27r] (second scene) |
| p. [27r] | NA | fs. [19r], [20r] and [25r] | 557.09–557.10 & 530.10–531.19 / 15.4720–4721 & 3874–3916 |
| p. [27v]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [28r] | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [28v] | NA | f. [21r] | Additional texts for p. [29r] |
| p. [29r] | NA | fs. [21r] and [22r] | 537.26–539.06 / 15.4112–4153 |
| p. [29v] | NA | f. [20r] | 533.02–533.14 / 15.3960–3973 |
| p. [30r] | NA | fs. [21r] and [22r] | 537.24–539.06 / 15.4111–4153 |
| p. [30v] | NA | f. [20r] | Additional texts for p. [31r] |
| p. [31r] | NA | f. [20r] | 533.15–534.02 / 15.3974–3994 |
| p. [31v] | NA | f. [22r] | Additional texts for p. [32r] |
| p. [32r] | NA | f. [22r] | 539.09–542.01 / 15.4157–4239 |
| p. [32v]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
| p. [33r] | NA | f. [20r] | 531.25–532.10 / 15.3921–3936 & “Schema” |
| pp. [33v]–[40v]: Blank | NA | NA | NA |
Dating
Joyce wrote this draft in the spring and summer of 1920 in Trieste and Paris.
Other Markings
The price of the copybook, “L. 1.30” is written in pencil on the back cover recto in the upper right corner. Joyce crossed through the texts on pp. [1r], [1v], [2r] and pp. [3r]–[14r] with X s in red crayon, the texts on pp. [14v], [15r] and [26v] with X s in red and blue crayon and on pp. [16r], [20v]–[26r], [27r], [28r]–[32r] and [33r] with X s and horizontal lines in blue crayon. Joyce wrote horizontal lines on p. [22r], in black ink, and on pp. [24r] and [27r], in red crayon. He also crossed the first 2 lines of the “Schema” on p. [33r] in red crayon and the 4th and 5th lines in blue crayon. During conservation, therefore after the manuscript’s publication in the JJA , the recto of each leaf was marked “V. A. 19.1″–”V. A. 19.40” in pencil in the bottom right corner. The back cover recto is also marked “V. A. 19” in pencil in the bottom right corner. There are water stains in the margins between pp. [1r] and [40v], [1v] and [40r], [39v] and [2r], [2v] and [39r], and on pp. [31r], [31v] and [32v]. There are rust stains in the vertical centerfold between pp. [20v]–[21r].
Publication
The manuscript has been reproduced in black and white photo-facsimile on JJA 14.201–259. It has been transcribed and annotated in Phillip F. Herring (ed.), Joyce’s Notes and Early Drafts for “Ulysses”: Selections from the Buffalo Collection , (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1977), pp. 211–259.
- La Hune, item 259; Slocum and Cahoon, item E.5.b.xi.